1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device and the associated method, especially to an image processing device and its associated method that enhance the edges and details of an image.
2. Description of Related Art
Image enhancement is one of the most common and important techniques of image processing and can be basically divided into two categories: (A) enhancing brightness and colors of an image, and (B) enhancing textures of an image, such as edges and details. Image enhancement can be conducted based on both of the two categories or based solely on one of them. Nowadays there are a number of image evaluation standards that evaluate images based on the details and smooth areas of the images. For example, a test standard established by Microsoft, Inc. has defined several indexes such as Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), over-sharpness, roughness, acutance and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). To pass these professional test standards, higher criteria of image quality are required and thus the corresponding image processing algorithms should be more robust. The algorithms for the (B) category of image enhancement plays a very important role in the abovementioned test standards.